The Mech Touch novel Chapter 102

A mech dedicated to destroying its opponents at range often accomplished their kills if they were willing to pay the price. Lisa Kwong flipped off all the safeties in order to let the Brandmark fire off as much lasers as possible. Beams of varying intensity flew through the air in rapid succession.

As an engine of destruction, the Brandmark revealed no flaws. Its firepower approached the magnitude of a heavy mech, and its heat dispersal was excellent even without the surrounding water. Such a well-built mech had no possibility of breaking down as long as Kwong did not push her mech any further.

Cadet Lovejoy tried to figure out a solution. His Executioner could not weather this laser storm for long. "I’m still only halfway but my mech is already approaching the limit! There’s nothing in sight that I can use as cover!"

The marshy terrain was devoid of any distinguishing features to block the lasers. There were no hills, no trees and hardly any bushes. Considering the power behind the laser cannons, only the sturdiest trees had a chance of dispersing the larger beams.

Lacking any other means, Lovejoy could only resort to sacrificing his parts of his mech. He first boosted the power of his flight system before raising the legs of his mech. The lasers burned right through the soles of his mech in short order. Even as the successive beams cooked the legs into slag, it succeeded in shielding the critical parts of the mech.

Those who paid attention to this battle showed a lot of appreciation for this drastic move. To keep a mech in flight in this posture required a lot of control in order to maintain this delicate balance. If the Executioner got hit by any kinetic projectile, it would immediately lose its balance and fall.

Fortunately for Lovejoy, the Brandmark sported a dedicated laser loadout. While its laser beams looked intimidating, it essentially consisted of pure electromagnetic radiation. It was like using a flashlight to open a door. The door might melt if the beam was concentrated enough, but it required a stupendous amount of power to open the door through pure kinetic force.

Lovejoy took advantage of this basic fact by recklessly flying forward in a highly unstable posture. Even as the feet fell apart, the Executioner still possessed a substantial amount of leg armor.

"It sure is serendipitous for me to face a laser mech with a flight-capable machine. I’d be stuck in a dead end if I only had a pistol."

The uncertainty of what a mech pilot might encounter in his next sortie often broke their minds. Many potentates ultimately washed out of the mech pilot academies due to a lack of adaptability. A qualified pilot was ready for combat anywhere and anytime against any opponent imaginable. Even against a ludicrous mech such as the Pterodactyl, Lovejoy still insisted up to the very end.

Raising the legs mid-flight was an inspired solution that came at a cost. With the slow disintegration of the legs, Lovejoy had to push his piloting skills to the limit in order to maintain his balance. A flying mech could not easily maintain its balance without the ballast provided by the legs. If handled badly, the Executioner might end up spinning around like a top.

"This is ridiculous!" Kwong exclaimed as she kept pumping out laser after laser. "Why won’t you fall already?!"

"Blame your designer for focusing too much on lasers!"

The gap closed within moments. At the very last second, Lovejoy spun around his mech and stretched out its sword with both hands.

The Brandmark attempted to dodge to the side, but Lovejoy had already watched out for that adjusted his sword grip. The broad and deadly tip sunk right through the right side of the Brandmark’s torso. Its well-treated armor buckled instantly against the momentum of a flying mech going forth at full speed.

Like a melted knife through butter, the sword impaled the Brandmark with ease and severed many essential components. The rest of the Executioner frame collided against the Brandmark, causing both mechs to sustain heavy impact damage. Nevertheless, a lot of the force had been channeled into the sword, causing its tip to emerge from the back of the Brandmark.

"..CUT!" Lovejoy yelled as his damaged mech tried to leverage as much force as possible while still in midair.

The Executioner’s flight system had performed miracles so far by keeping the mech aloft. When Lovejoy cut off all of its power, the remnants of the mech started to fall while maintaining a tight grip on its sword.

The edge of the sword ruthlessly sliced down the helpless Brandmark like a butcher’s knife. The massive sword spliced open its lower torso, cutting straight through the cockpit and engines.

The crowd cheered at the brief but intense clash. The commentators briefly showered Lovejoy with praise for his expert piloting before turning back to the other duels.

Ves let out a deep breath. He won his first duel. Though the terrain heavily favored his opponent’s mech, Lovejoy somehow managed to overturn the odds. If not for his flight system and if not for the Brandmark’s complete reliance on lasers, this match might have ended differently.

"This.. this isn’t possible! There’s so much water! How could my Brandmark fail to shoot down that primitive mech?!"

And so fell another darling from Leemar. Lachlan Kurbanov’s journey to the top had ended abruptly. The two other copies of the Brandmark were destined to be recycled.

His loss of composure disgraced his school. Many spectators who stood close to the waiting room pointed out his delirious descent into disbelief. Those who also studied at Leemar simply shook their heads. Though they favored the alumni from their school, it was his fault for being too weak.

"Sometimes, I wonder whether the single duel format is flawed." Ves remarked to Patricia as he turned away from Lachlan’s display. "It’s a complete roll of the dice whether the terrain favors your mech, or whether it is facing its natural counter."

Patricia smiled as she kept her eyes glued to her heavy mech. Many of the duels were still starting out.

The instance where Lovejoy and Kwong tried to force a quick resolution did not happen elsewhere. The pilots played conservatively whenever they could get away with it. They only started to take risks when their opponents backed them into a corner.

"The duels are never meant to be fair. They are meant to be decisive." Patricia finally pointed out. "The pilot only has to worry about how to use the tools at hand. Tools which you have generously provided them. After all, what are we here for if not designing mechs?"

A mech designer did not fight the enemy on the battlefield. Instead, they worked behind the scenes. They were not omniscient and could not predict the future. All they could do is gather as much information as possible and prepare their designs according to the parameters set by their clients.

The first set of duels ended after a few moments of time. Most of the mechs faced their equals in terms of design and piloting skill. Every pilot wanted to attain glory, so even the losers fought as if their lives were on the line.

Only twelve designs remained. Surprisingly, Patricia’s heavy mech also eked out a victory. Together with Ves, they were all that was left of the so-called walkers. Like Barakovski, the rest of the survivors came from privileged backgrounds.

"This is interesting! Both of our exotic guests are from the Bright Republic!" The female commentator noted with bright eyes. "They even shared the same classes in the same school! Might there be something special brewing between the two? Is that the secret to their success?"

Both Ves and Patricia turned away in embarrassment. They were just acquaintances. Before encountering her at Leemar, he could not even claim to be her friend.

After that brief moment of levity, the second duels commenced. According to the bracket, Ves had to face a familiar name. One he did not wish to face at all due to their shared experiences.